Loughborough Lightning back Carys Williams-Morris has been named in the Wales squad for the inaugural WXV1 tournament in New Zealand.
Wales are ranked sixth in the world rankings and qualified for the WXV1 competition for the six best teams in the world, including World Cup winners, the Black Ferns, Grand Slam winners, England, France, Australia and Canada.
Wales will open their WXV campaign against Canada in Wellington before they face New Zealand in Dunedin and Australia in Auckland.
Wales secured their first-ever Test match win over USA last weekend and though Williams-Morris did not feature, she has secured a place in the 30-player squad for the upcoming tournament.
Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham said: “We have chosen the 30 players who will make history and represent Wales in the first WXV tournament to be played in New Zealand in October. We are under no illusions of the task ahead of us, but we are relishing the opportunity to play our part in this exciting new competition.
“As a squad, coaches and staff, we are excited to test ourselves against the best in the world and to measure our progress and to see how far we have come. The WXV is innovative development for rugby and provides us with another tournament to measure our progress ahead of the 2025 World Cup.
“We have had a tough pre-season and the squad has been tested physically and mentally and made real strides. This group of players has a real appetite for hard work, and we are ready for the challenges ahead.’’
Wales squad for WXV
FORWARDS: Gwenllian Pyrs, Abbey Constable, Kelsey Jones, Carys Phillips, Kat Evans, Sisilia Tuipulotu, Donna Rose, Cerys Hale, Abbie Fleming, Georgia Evans, Alisha Butchers, Bryonie King, Alex Callender, Kate Williams, Beth Lewis (VC), Sioned Harries.
BACKS: Jasmine Joyce, Nel Metcalfe, Lisa Neumann, Hannah Jones (capt), Carys Cox, Meg Webb, Kerin Lake, Hannah Bluck, Carys Williams-Morris, Lleucu George, Robyn Wilkins, Niamh Terry, Keira Bevan, Meg Davies.
